"Unmatched... Sweet and Juicy" Peaches Nearly 50,000 Won Each, Revealed

Luxury Marketing of Fukushima Peaches Launched
On Sale at Harrods Department Store in London Until Next Month
Price per Piece Very Expensive at 47,000 Won

A luxury department store in London, UK, has started selling peaches from Fukushima, Japan. This initiative was promoted by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to alleviate safety concerns regarding agricultural products from Fukushima. The Japanese side is marketing Fukushima peaches as "luxury fruits" by setting high prices.

A luxury department store in London, England has started selling peaches from Fukushima, Japan. The photo is not directly related. [Image source=Getty Images]

On the 9th (local time), foreign media such as AFP and the UK's Daily Telegraph reported that Harrods department store in London began selling Fukushima peaches until early next month. Established in 1849, Harrods is a department store frequented by the British royal family and wealthy visitors from around the world. Japan targeted London’s top luxury department store with Fukushima peaches to dispel ongoing safety concerns about Fukushima agricultural products since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011.

Tokyo Electric Power Company is conducting 'luxury marketing' for Fukushima peaches, which have been stocked in a top-tier department store in the UK. The price per peach is 27 pounds (47,000 won), and a set of three costs 80 pounds (140,000 won), which is considered expensive even locally.
[Photo by AFP·Yonhap News]

Fukushima Prefecture was the second largest peach-producing region in Japan after Yamanashi Prefecture. However, after the tsunami in 2011 caused the meltdown of reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, radiation leaks occurred, leading to a sharp decline in fruit sales, including peaches. In response, TEPCO has conducted campaigns to promote Fukushima rice, agricultural products, and seafood in the United States, Thailand, and other major economies. As part of this campaign, juice made from Fukushima peaches was served at the G7 summit held in Hiroshima Prefecture in May last year. These peaches are often cited when promoting the safety of Fukushima agricultural products. When Fukushima peaches sold out quickly at the "Japan Festival" held in London last October, TEPCO collaborated with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the Fukushima Prefecture Association in the UK, and importers to push for the entry of Fukushima peaches into Harrods.

Ultimately, TEPCO is conducting "luxury marketing" for Fukushima peaches now stocked in the UK’s top luxury department store. The price per peach is ?27 (about 47,000 KRW), and a set of three costs ?80 (about 140,000 KRW), which is considered expensive locally. Harrods promotes Fukushima peaches as "incomparably sweet and juicy" compared to other peaches. Previously, the UK had restricted imports of Japanese food products following the Fukushima nuclear accident but lifted these measures in 2022.